Schaumburg officials visit new village hall as construction enters final six months
Schaumburg village board members and department heads got their first chance to visit their future workplace with construction of a new village hall nearing an end.
A November occupancy is expected for the $44.2 million building that replaces the 52-year-old Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center demolished on the same site nearly 13 months ago.
Though many who toured the still skeletal interior had personal input on the design, seeing it at full scale and in three dimensions enhanced their vision of its future use.
Mayor Tom Dailly stood in the lobby and appreciated the natural light that will continue to pour in from above and the view of the Friendship Stone delivered 20 years ago by the Sister City of Schaumburg, Germany, that now sits atop a central staircase.
“Driving by I thought, it’s bigger than I thought,” he said of the new building. “Now that I’m inside, it’s even bigger than I thought.”
With a second story its predecessor didn’t have, the new village hall will accommodate a staffing level never imagined when the first building was constructed more than 50 years ago, Village Manager Brian Townsend said.
“This design was so driven by function,” he added. “We didn’t put a lot of extravagant things in here. It’s really cool to see it come to shape.”
While the building’s architectural style will still reflect the history of the newly renamed Robert O. Atcher Municipal Campus and the Al Larson Cultural Center next door, its use of space was probably most heavily influenced by the current village halls of Palatine and Wheeling, Townsend added.
Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald identified on a blueprint the still unfinished space in her department where all the village’s inspectors can gather for the first time ever.
“That’s huge for collaboration,” she said. “It’s wonderful!”
Economic Development Director Matt Frank said his new office overlooking the campus’ pond will provide a better first impression for his meetings with developers interested in joining Illinois’ second-largest hub of economic activity.
IT Director Peter Schaak said his department is getting adequate space and a second-story view after spending its prior life in a windowless basement originally intended only for storage.
Beyond the construction cost, another $5.8 million was budgeted for the facility’s furniture, fixtures and equipment. Itasca-based Williams Architects was paid $1.8 million to design the new building.
Until the village hall’s completion, Schaumburg staff and public meetings are being housed at a former office building at 1000 E. Woodfield Road. It will be torn down next year and replaced by the village’s next police station.